In the last seven years the Richland Springs High School football team has gotten to see both sides of the coin. The Coyotes have won four titles in that span, including last year's Division II state championship.

After winning three championships in four years from 2004-07 the Coyotes were unseated from their perch atop six-man football for two years before bringing home the trophy again last December.

Now the Coyotes have the bull's-eye on their backs again.

"Even if we weren't coming into the season at No. 1, we feel like we would still have a target on our back because of the success that we've had," head coach Jerry Burkhart said. "We tell our kids that we are going to be prepared every week and every team will want to knock us off, because we are highly ranked.

"Rankings don't mean anything — it comes down to who is prepared and who can stay injury free."

Burkhart's Coyotes start out the season at No. 1 according to rankings on sixmanfootball.com.

Even though the coach knows what it is like to successfully defend a title, he doesn't want to talk about repeating.

"We stress that we play games week by week," Burkhart said. "We can't go back to last year and talk about repeating. This is a new year with a new team. We know that week-by-week we have to get better with our technique and fundamentals.

"The season is long and we are trying to prepare our kids for the long run."

Unlike last season, when the Coyotes entered the season breaking in a new spreadback, this year Denim Reeves returns for his senior year after leading the team to a 15-0 record.

"Experience is always a plus — Denim has been there before," Burkhart said. "When Haustin broke his foot (in 2009) he came in and did a great job. Denim has stepped up. He doesn't miss any practices. What he gets he deserves because of his hard work and his work ethic."

Reeves ran for 2,145 yards to go along with 1,669 yards passing in 2010.

The senior spreadback said that defending a state title involves even more work than winning the first one.

"You have to work harder than you did last year and you have to put your mind to do it," Reeves said. "You have to work harder than every team the state — you can't work harder than just the team you play this week."

Burkhart feels good about the players that will return alongside Reeves, even though the Coyotes lost eight seniors from the 2010 title team.

Richland Springs will return four starters on both sides of the ball.

"We've got a lot of kids — Chance Bush, Ben Vancleave, Danny Tillery, John Greenwood — that have been there before," Burkhart said. "We tell them not to let the hype get to them too much. Just go play football."

Vancleave said the reason for the sustained success at the school is because of the time players put in on the scout team when they first get to high school.

"Our scout team always goes up against the best in the state and it makes them that much better," Vancleave said.

Senior John Greenwood said it is important for the team to stay humble and remember the feeling of hoisting the championship trophy.

"The feeling was indescribable and it is something that we want to feel again," Greenwood said. "You don't want to give it up. We all work hard and we just want to accomplish that again."

Even though they bring back the six-man cover boy from Dave Campbell's Texas Football magazine, Burkhart stressed that the Coyotes are more than just Reeves.

"The only way this team functions if everybody does their job. There is no one-man team," Burkhart said. "We always stress that it takes everybody to do their part. The younger kids coming up see what their role is and know what they are supposed to do.

"Our kids are very coachable. They listen and they do their part, and that is what makes the whole thing work."

This season there is an even bigger carrot dangling in front of the Coyotes — a fifth state championship would tie them with Fort Hancock for most state titles in six-man history.

Richland Springs will kick off that quest Saturday in Zephyr against Avalon.